


The Constant

by xisuthros



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Going to Hell, Post 5x09
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 03:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9158566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xisuthros/pseuds/xisuthros
Summary: Oliver and the team deal with the fallout of 5x09. John Diggle is still in prison for a crime he did not commit, Felicity mourns the loss of detective Billy Malone, and Prometheus looms ever larger while Evelyn's betrayal shakes the team to the core. Meanwhile, new and old faces return to Star City with their own agendas. Relationships are tested and there are new threats everywhere. Can Oliver and Lyla get John out of prison again? Can the team recover from one of their own turning against them? Can Felicity come to grips with her conflicted feelings?





	1. Prologue: Starry Nights

Pale shafts of moonlight hit the desert floor beneath the surrounding mountains, glittering in the dark as sand particles caused the air to shimmer. A lone figure made his way through the mountain passes, his identity of the traveller concealed underneath a hooded robe that protected his face from the rough winds of the desert. Occasionally glancing upwards towards the stars, the figure’s pace was steady and carried great surety as he used the stars for navigation. Upon turning a final corner, the man stopped and gazed upon his destination with eyes that seemed older than the sky overhead.

At the end of the valley and surrounded by looming desert mountains, stood the entrance to a hidden city built into the cliff-side. Meticulously hand-carved pillars gave the structure an imposing appearance while intricate historical art could be seen even at a distance lining the various multi-layered archways. It was a sight the man knew only a select few in the world would ever see. Still, it had changed significantly since his last visit, which seemed to him many lifetimes ago. Too many lifetimes.

As the man took in the view, a second figure dressed head to toe in black hooded armor silently snuck up behind him, quiet as death itself. Slowly unsheathing a long dagger, the warrior prepared to strike the lone man in the back while he was preoccupied. 

Her fate had been sealed the moment she spotted him on the horizon.

Quicker than the blink of an eye, the man swiftly turned around and grabbed the warrior’s wrist that held the dagger, twisting it around so that the attacker was forced to drop it into the man’s own hand. He then knocked the warrior’s right kneecap so that the attacker was on one knee with the dagger’s blade pressed to her neck, removing the hood as he did so.

A moment passed where neither party moved. When the man spoke, his tone was as unyielding as the fall of a guillotine’s blade. “How many?” He asked.

The warrior swallowed and felt a pinprick of pain as the motion caused the blade to break the surface of her skin. She could feel the blood start to slide down her neck and onto the black armor that she had donned every day for the past decade. As the warrior looked upon the eyes underneath the hood, she was struck by the sadness in them, as if he could see the thoughts racing through her mind. 

Knowing she was already marked for death, the warrior told the truth. It was unlikely the stranger, however skilled he seemed, was ever going to survive the night. “Seven more on the ridge, three once inside the city. My master commands a force of five hundred warriors left over from the old order.” 

The man nodded slowly. His voice was softer than before, but no less inevitable. “Last words?” He asked, and the warrior was surprised again by how sad his eyes were, like the very depths of the ocean churned within them. 

She did not fear death. In fact, she had sought it out on more than one occasion in her life and had led dozens of others to its arms. But now that it was staring her in the face, the warrior was suddenly hit with the finality of it. Her childhood, her teenage years, all the struggles and losses in her life, everything that had ever made her happy or sad or angry or inspired, all led to this moment. She thought of recent years, and all the things she had been forced to do, all the hurt she had caused others in the name of justice. Memories raced unbidden through her mind, of nights alone in the city, too full of guilt and sorrow to sleep. She thought of her current master, and the vile plans she had for the world. The great vastness of eternity awaited her, and she only had one thing to say in the face of it.

“Thank you.” 

The man let out a breath and gazed at her for a moment before answering in a quiet voice. “Be free.” 

His hand surged forward and the warrior crumpled to the desert floor, a look of peace upon her face for the first time in many years. Cleaning the dagger and placing it in the warrior’s hand, the man placed his own hand over her forehead in regret. The sadness did not leave his eyes as when stood once more and looked upon the entrance to the city. It was time, he decided. The time had come for the ancient city to be free of its greedy tyrant, and all the suffering that originated from those who had come before her needed to be avenged. He had stayed away for too long, but no more. The great hidden city of Nanda Parbat, the ancient bane of the criminal underworld, would be returned to its original glory. 

Hours later as the morning sun peeked over the horizon, the sounds of screams and metal clanging from within the city could be heard even from where the warrior’s body lay in the new light of day.


	2. Of Cells and Men

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver visits John in prison.

There were many perks about being the mayor of Star City. For one, the position offered influence amongst the city’s elite, something that had eluded Oliver since the loss of his family’s company. He was able to be more involved in the police department, which allowed him to know movements and strategies that helped his team to operate off the radar. But in this instance, the best perk was being able to call the warden of Iron Heights and arrange a visitation without it being plastered all over the front page of the paper.

Oliver smiled one of his signature ‘mayor’ smiles at the guard that opened the door for him. Maintaining the mask of someone who needs to smile and wave all the time did get rather old, but he knew that it was a small price to pay for the good that he could do for the city. The visitation area was small and dank, but it was lightened considerably by John Diggle’s smiling face on the other side of the considerably thick Plexiglas barrier. 

He smiled genuinely for the first time that day as he sat down and put the phone to his ear. “It’s good to see prison hasn’t gotten you down, John.” He remarked lightly, despite the gravity of the situation.

The man opposite him chuckled. “It’s only walls, Oliver. They’ve got me in solitary confinement due to my last jailbreak. The only thing I have to fear in here is the food.” His smile went away after he finished the sentence, becoming serious. “How’s Lyla and JJ?”

“They’re doing all right.” Oliver reassured him. He had originally wanted Lyla to come along to the meeting, but A.R.G.U.S. was keeping a close eye on her now that they suspected she had something to do with Diggle’s first escape. Apparently being the director of the organization did not mean a free pass to do whatever one wished. “John Jr. is with Thea right now and Lyla is at A.R.G.U.S., trying to figure out a way to get you out of here legally.” He paused. “We all are.” It was true, Felicity was distracting herself after Billy’s death by searching every conceivable source for a precedent to release John and the rest of the team explored other avenues. “You don’t deserve this, John.” He said quietly.

Diggle nodded sagely. “You’re right, Oliver.” He agreed. “But it happened. I’m not going to waste time complaining about something I can’t change. What matters now is doing this right so no one can say anything about it down the road.” He paused. “We still think Evelyn told Prometheus where to send the feds?”

Oliver nodded. “It makes the most sense. Prometheus didn’t have access to hat kind of information until she betrayed us.” The girl’s actions still left a bitter taste in his mouth. “We trusted her – I trusted her – and you got screwed in the fallout when she turned on us.” 

Diggle raised an eyebrow. “And there it is.” He said, sighing slightly. “Knew you’d try to put this one you.” He looked at him seriously. “Oliver, no one could have seen this coming.”

He shook his head. “I should have seen this one coming.” Oliver sighed. “I’m not making that mistake again, John.” 

Diggle eyed him carefully, as if gauging his seriousness. “Mistakes are part of the job, man. You of all people should know that.”

Oliver agreed. But he had let Prometheus turn one of his own team against him right under his nose. He had let the vengeful vigilante lure him to a staged location only to trick him into killing Billy Malone, all the while reminding him of a fact he had tried to bury since returning home almost five years ago; that everything he touches dies. He was done trying to play both sides. He was done being someone that let himself get played. If Prometheus wanted revenge, Oliver could at least be the man that had seemingly wronged him four years ago. That man, the Hood, had shown no mercy. And Oliver was not in the mood for mercy any longer

“I do know that, John.” He finally replied after a few moments. “I know that better than anyone right now. But I’m done playing with kid gloves. No one else is getting hurt because of me.” 

“This isn’t all on you, Oliver.” Diggle repeated seriously. “You’ve done a lot of good for this city. Look how far it’s come since you got back.”

Oliver laughed humorlessly. “I’ve done a lot of bad as well. You know that. Prometheus wouldn’t be after us right now if I hadn’t been so cavalier when I first got back. He blames me for something I can’t even remember because I’ve done so many horrible things, I can’t even think of which one he might be referring to!” Oliver placed a hand on his forehead for a moment. “I know that not everything is on me, John. That much, I’ve learned over the past five years. But some things are. This situation is on me. I’m going to fix it, just like we’re going to fix your situation.”

Diggle laughed. “Well, I’m not going anywhere. Feel free to knock Prometheus out before I get out, it’ll make homecoming that much easier.” Oliver cracked a smile before the man leaned forward. “How’s Felicity doing about Billy?” He asked. 

At the mention of Felicity, Oliver’s chest ached. He knew that she must be hurting, but he had not been able to stomach being in the same room with her at the moment. Billy’s death was his fault, and every time he saw her it was a reminder of all the ways he’s failed her over the years. Being a killer, a playboy, going undercover in the League, trusting Malcolm Merlyn over her, lying to her about William, their failed engagement, and now the murder of her boyfriend at his hand. It was simply too much for him to bear, being the cause of so much of her heartbreak. The best thing for her was to have as little of him in her life as possible. All he ever did was bring her pain. 

“She’s doing fine, from what I hear. Thea and Curtis are keeping her company right now.” He answered carefully, keeping his face emotionless. Felicity calls it his ‘dead fish’ face. The memory of that conversation sends a stab of pain through his chest. It was not a complete lie; Thea told him that she was doing remarkably well, but was still understandably upset.

Diggle saw right through the façade. At times, Oliver forgot how long the man had stood by him. “You haven’t been back to the team since his death, have you?”

“Since his murder, John.” Oliver corrected sharply. “His murder, you mean. By me.” How am I supposed to face her? That was the question that hung in the air that he didn’t say, but Diggle understood. 

“Look, I don’t care about all the drama or any residual feelings that might be there.” He paused, then amended. “I mean, I do care, but now isn’t the time. You’re still her best friend, Oliver. Over everyone; Thea, Laurel when she was still here, Curtis, even me. She’s hurting man, and she needs you.” That was the problem. He was the problem.

“John, I just…” Oliver looked down for a moment. “I can’t right now. She has the team. At the moment, I’m working things on my end.” Before Diggle could ask what that end was, Oliver spoke again. “Is there anything you want me to say to Lyla?”

Diggle paused. “Tell her to not worry and that I’ll be fine. No jailbreaks this time.” He said, pointing a finger at Oliver who feigned innocence. In a more serious tone, he continued. “Tell her I love her. And give JJ a hug for me.” 

Oliver nodded. “Will do.” He and John nodded at each other, but before he hung up the phone John made one last remark.

“Take care of yourself, Oliver.” He said. “Talk to Felicity. Without you two, the team won’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell against Prometheus.” 

Oliver nodded, though both he and Diggle knew that his heart wasn’t yet in it. As they hung up the phones and Oliver watched them take John back towards his cell block, a feeling of surety entered him. Whatever happened next, Prometheus was without a doubt going to pay for what he had done to his friends.


	3. The Signs Are All There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thea confronts Oliver about going out as the Green Arrow without his team.

Thea walked down the hallway of the mayor’s office, her face stony. Various aides and secretaries saw her coming and got out of the way in a hurry, not wishing to be on the receiving end of the younger Queen’s wrath. When she reached Oliver’s office, she pushed the doors open so forcefully that it nearly cracked the glass. Her brother did not move an inch from his seat at the desk, signing what was no doubt another zoning form. 

“Oliver Jonas Queen!” She began loudly. “What in the hell-“ She was stopped when he held up a finger, his face still downturned towards the forms. After a few moments, he put his signature on the papers and pushed them aside to give Thea his full attention. He had learned a long time ago to give Thea some time to cool off before engaging her when she was angry. Thea hated sometimes how well he knew her. 

“What is it, Thea?” He asked calmly. Yeah. Thea definitely hated it.

“You went out again last night?” She asked him angrily. 

His face was expressionless as he played dumb, a move that the had perfected during his teenage years. “I go out every night. What was so special about this time?”

Thea wasn’t buying. “What I meant to say was, you went out as the Green Arrow without your team last night?” She whispered through clenched teeth. 

Oliver had the decency to look slightly uncomfortable. “It was just a little recon, nothing important. If I needed the team, I would have called them.”

“Bull.” Thea replied, crossing her arms. “Oliver, Prometheus is out there, plotting his revenge against you. He’s had four years to figure out exactly how to take you down, and you just decided to go running across rooftops without backup because you decided don’t need it?!” She turned around for a moment to recompose before spinning back around. “You left bodies by the docks, Oliver. Felicity sent them to look into a gang that may have had some ties with Prometheus, but they got there and found what looked like a slaughter done by a guy that had green arrows.” She glared pointedly at him. 

Oliver got up and moved to pour himself a glass of water from the table by the window. “Like I said, mostly recon.” He took a sip before nodding, conceding. “That is until I found that they were, in fact, in league with Prometheus and had been smuggling in underage girls through the docks by bribing a goods inspector.” The anger on Thea’s face lessened somewhat, but not by much. “These men were animals, Thea. Trust me, I did the city a favor.”

She shook her head, standing her ground. “That doesn’t mean you get to just kill them and walk away, Oliver! Haven’t you learned your lesson?” The moment the words left her mouth, Thea realized that it was the wrong thing to say. 

Oliver slammed his fist on the desk and glared at her with a mixture of regret and rage in his eyes. “What do you think this about, Thea?” He practically shouted. “Detective Malone died because I didn’t kill Prometheus when I had the chance on the train or when I had him at the warehouse. I allowed that psychopath to escape because I was too worried about disappointing my team after they found out I used to be the Hood. I was too worried about my legacy.” His jaw set. “I’m not concerned with that anymore.” He declared. “My only concern now is taking Prometheus down using whatever means necessary. I have to, before he hurts anyone else I care about.”

“Like me?” She said quietly, causing his face to shift to one of confusion. “Every time you go out there half-cocked and pissed off, you risk making a mistake that could cost you your life! Prometheus wants you to blame yourself for Billy’s death, and he’s succeeding. Now, remind me again what you do when you shoulder the blame?” She prompted him, but upon hearing no response she continued. “You isolate yourself and you make mistakes. I don’t want to see on the evening news that my brother was the latest victim in Prometheus’s killing spree because he didn’t have backup.”

Oliver looked steadily at her for a few moments. “The team doesn’t need me, and I don’t need the team.” He said plainly. Thea at first couldn’t remember the last time his tone was so emotionless. With a jolt, she realized it had been when he had first returned from Lian Yu. “I’ve been doing this a lot longer than any of you. I don’t need more casualties on my conscience.”

Thea raised an eyebrow. “And the people at the docks were what? Notches on your bow?”

“I needed to send a message, the only way this guy understands.” He replied with a steely tone. “The gloves have been on for too long, Thea. I could have stopped Prometheus a few times now, but my head wasn’t fully in the game. That ends now. I’m done caring. Whatever it takes, I will bring this guy down. And if that means taking out sex traffickers along the way, fine.”

A moment passed before Thea let out a slow breath. “Look, I know you’re upset, Oliver. What Prometheus did was sick and he should be held accountable, but not like this. All this talk about sending a message and slaughtering people because they piss you off? You’re beginning to sound like Malcolm instead of my brother.” That statement got Oliver’s attention. His jaw ticked in the way it did when he knew she was right.

“I get that you’re going to do what you’re going to do whether I want you to or not.” She continued, hoping to at least get him to reconsider his actions. It was the only course of action with a stubborn and guilty Oliver Queen. “I can’t stop you. I just want you to remember that there are people in your life that still love and care about you. Don’t let this consume you like it did when you came back from the island.”

Oliver stood with his hand on the desk, his head slightly downcast as he processed her words. Thea believed that she might have finally gotten through to him. Not very far, but enough to keep him from going completely off the deep end. 

“How’s the team?” He asked carefully. 

Thea paused. ‘They took a few hits. Dig was arrested, Evelyn betrayed them, and now you’ve gone out on your own. They’re trying to keep it together. Felicity’s doing a good job so far. She’s got them training and helping her maintain the bunker most nights.” 

At the mention of Felicity, Oliver’s features tightened. “How is she?” He asked, his voice sounding worried despite his attempts at maintaining a neutral tone. 

“She’s doing better than I thought she would.” Thea admitted. “She’s really working hard at getting Dig out of prison and trying to coordinate with A.R.G.U.S. about them pulling some strings on his behalf.”

“So have I.” Oliver replied darkly. “I've called in every favor I can think of, but no one's biting. It's been days with no luck.” She shifted, unsure whether or not to mention the elephant in the room.

Thea decided to chance it. “She’s really worried about you, Oliver.” He stilled again. “You practically quitting the team and dropping off the face of the earth really upset her. You’re her best friend. She needed you, and you bailed like after the Undertaking, only you’re a few blocks down the street instead of back on the island.” Thea hated to see either of them unhappy, but it was time for some tough love. 

Oliver’s face was full of pain. “She doesn’t need me, Thea. All I’ve ever done is blow her life to hell.” He replied, suddenly seeming slightly irritated. “You and John both told me the same thing. Have you two been strategizing or something?”

She chuckled. “No, but it’s good to know I’m with him on this one. Oliver, you’ve not made her life hell. If anything, she’s a better person now because she knows you. You should have seen her face when she found out you were out there alone last night.” Thea shook her head at his reasoning. It was a constant cycle with those two. Thea just wanted to lock them in a room somewhere and have them work out their issues already. A year ago, she was looking forward to having Felicity as a sister-in-law, now she was stuck playing messenger.

Oliver continued to look at her like he wanted to say something, but seemed to decide against it, opting to sit back down at his desk. He sighed. “I know that this is frustrating, Thea.” His voice betrayed how tired she had suspected he was. The bags under his eyes became more noticeable as he spoke. “Prometheus hit us hard, and we’re all dealing with it the best we can. I’m sorry, but I can’t come back to the team right now.” When she opened her mouth to argue, he cut her off. “I just can’t, Thea. No one is going to get better by being around me. Especially her.” His face was pained as Thea looked at him steadily.

After several moments, she nodded slowly. It was clear that she was not going to win this fight. Oliver was going to lick his wounds and return to the fold when he was ready, though Thea wanted to smack him for shutting out everyone in the meantime. She said goodbye and walked out of the office with a renewed sense of purpose. Even though she was technically retired, Thea knew one thing for certain; Prometheus was going to regret going after her brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was tough to write. I love writing angst and brooding characters, but it was a challenge to not make Oliver seem too childish or regressing too far back to "island mode". He has grown a lot over the course of the 5 seasons, and I wanted to reflect a bit of that growth still in there amongst all his other instinctual habits. This story seems humorless now, but there are still many chapters to go! Not all of it will be doom and gloom, I promise!!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this fic is going to be the death of me. This is one of those stories that I think about before I go to bed and it all makes sense in my head until I try to write it the next day. This is going to be a lengthy story, so strap in! I will post chapters as I feel they are ready, so please be patient! Thanks, love you guys!


End file.
